Japanese symbol for “dusky”
どす黒い
どすぐろい
Romaji: dosuguroi
darkish; dusky; dark; murky
In Japanese, dusky is どす黒い, read どすぐろい (dosuguroi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i darkish; dusky; dark; murky
Written forms: どす黒い、ドス黒い. Readings: どすぐろい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dusky”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ほの暗い | ほのぐらい honogurai | dim; dusky; gloomy |
| 小暗い | おぐらい ogurai | dusky; dim; shady |
| 暮色蒼然 | ぼしょくそうぜん boshokusouzen | dusky; somber light of a gathering dusk |
| 薄黒い | うすぐろい usuguroi | blackish; darkish; dark |
| 蒼茫 | そうぼう soubou | dusky; shadowy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 黒人 | こくじん kokujin | black person |
| 黒い | くろい kuroi | black |
| 黒字 | くろじ kuroji | (being in) the black; surplus |
| 黒板 | こくばん kokuban | blackboard |
| 暗黒 | あんこく ankoku | darkness |
| 白黒 | しろくろ shirokuro | black and white; monochrome |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dusky”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.